Course: Theater History Prehistoric - 1600
Task: Ice breaker
Objective: Build community of learners
Author: Alicia,
Method: Asynchronous
Instructions:
· Access the Discussion Board to introduce yourself to the class. Give your name, educational interests and tell us what your favorite play or musical is and why. When you have completed your own post, respond to two other posts by your classmates. Make sure you post a thoughtful response that contributes to the discussion. Comment such as "I agree", "sounds good" will not be considered acceptable. This is a required posting and will count toward the points required for your final grade. Your post is due on Wednesday by 11:55 p.m.

This is a required posting and will count towards your total participation grade for the course.


Author’s Note: The goal is to have the students not only introduce themselves, but get into the frame of mind of the course. By discussing their favorite plays, the instructor can get a feel or the depth of knowledge the class has and then apply that knowledge to the course objective: to make connections between the plays, playwrights and societal/historical influences. (Smith: think "learning" not teaching")

Jody Johnson's critique of Alicia's activity:

Hi Alicia,
Ice breaker activities are a great way for DE students to get to know a little bit about each other. Students may disclose as much or as little as they feel comfortable in their initial posting. The wording of the prompt is especially important, with the goal of having students build on each other's posts. One way to extend the "conversation" might be to require students to ask the author a question related to their favorite play.

The proposed activity addresses the 6 items on the "Checklist for an Effective Icebreaker" (pg. 47, Conrad). You might want to word the prompt so that students are encouraged to look at the other posts and find something in common with other students and respond to that student (Item 4 on pg. 47). Perhaps a later activity might also include grouping students by the genre of their favorite play or writer.